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Estep JA, Sun LO, Riccomagno MM. A luciferase fragment complementation assay to detect focal adhesion kinase (FAK) signaling events. Heliyon 2023; 9:e15282. [PMID: 37089315 PMCID: PMC10119766 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Integrin Adhesion Complexes (IACs) serve as links between the cytoskeleton and extracellular environment, acting as mechanosensing and signaling hubs. As such, IACs participate in many aspects of cellular motility, tissue morphogenesis, anchorage-dependent growth and cell survival. Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) has emerged as a critical organizer of IAC signaling events due to its early recruitment and diverse substrates, and thus has become a genetic and therapeutic target. Here we present the design and characterization of simple, reversible, and scalable Bimolecular Complementation sensors to monitor FAK phosphorylation in living cells. These probes provide novel means to quantify IAC signaling, expanding on the currently available toolkit for interrogating FAK phosphorylation during diverse cellular processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason A. Estep
- Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology Program, Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Lu O. Sun
- Department of Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Martin M. Riccomagno
- Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology Program, Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
- Neuroscience Program, Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
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Zakaria MA, Kiew MC, Rajab NF, Chua EW, Masre SF. Rigid Tissue Increases Cytoplasmic pYAP Expression in Pre-Malignant Stage of Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) In Vivo. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2022; 44:4528-4539. [PMID: 36286025 PMCID: PMC9600365 DOI: 10.3390/cimb44100310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Revised: 09/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Increased tissue rigidity is able to activate the Hippo signaling pathway, leading to YAP inactivation by phosphorylation and translocation into the cytoplasm. Accumulating evidence suggests that cytoplasmic pYAP serves as a tumor suppressor and could be a prognostic biomarker for several solid cancers. However, the relationship between tissue rigidity and cytoplasmic pYAP expression in the early stage of lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) remains elusive; this was determined in this study by using a mouse model. Female BALB/c mice were assigned into two groups (n = 6; the vehicle (VC) and the pre-malignant (PM) group, which received 70% acetone and 0.04 M N-nitroso-tris-chloroethylurea (NTCU) for 15 weeks, respectively. In this study, the formation of hyperplasia and metaplasia lesions was found in the PM group, indicating the pre-malignant stage of lung SCC. The pre-malignant tissue appeared to be more rigid as characterized by significantly higher (p < 0.05) epithelium thickness, proliferative activity, and collagen content than the VC group. The PM group also had a significantly higher (p < 0.05) cytoplasmic pYAP protein expression than the VC group. In conclusion, increased tissue rigidity may contribute to the upregulation of cytoplasmic pYAP expression, which may act as a tumor suppressor in the early stage of lung SCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Asyaari Zakaria
- Centre for Toxicology and Health Risk Studies, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Malaysia
| | - May Chee Kiew
- Centre for Toxicology and Health Risk Studies, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Malaysia
| | - Nor Fadilah Rajab
- Centre for Healthy Ageing and Wellness, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Malaysia
| | - Eng Wee Chua
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Malaysia
| | - Siti Fathiah Masre
- Centre for Toxicology and Health Risk Studies, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Malaysia
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +60-137442907
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Zakaria MA, Aziz J, Rajab NF, Chua EW, Masre SF. Tissue Rigidity Increased during Carcinogenesis of NTCU-Induced Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma In Vivo. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10102382. [PMID: 36289644 PMCID: PMC9598693 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10102382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Increased tissue rigidity is an emerging hallmark of cancer as it plays a critical role in promoting cancer growth. However, the field lacks a defined characterization of tissue rigidity in dual-stage carcinogenesis of lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in vivo. Pre-malignant and malignant lung SCC was developed in BALB/c mice using N-nitroso-tris-chloroethylurea (NTCU). Picro sirius red staining and atomic force microscopy were performed to measure collagen content and collagen (diameter and rigidity), respectively. Then, the expression of tenascin C (TNC) protein was determined using immunohistochemistry staining. Briefly, all tissue rigidity parameters were found to be increased in the Cancer group as compared with the Vehicle group. Importantly, collagen content (33.63 ± 2.39%) and TNC expression (7.97 ± 2.04%) were found to be significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the Malignant Cancer group, as compared with the collagen content (18.08 ± 1.75%) and TNC expression (0.45 ± 0.53%) in the Pre-malignant Cancer group, indicating increased tissue rigidity during carcinogenesis of lung SCC. Overall, tissue rigidity of lung SCC was suggested to be increased during carcinogenesis as indicated by the overexpression of collagen and TNC protein, which may warrant further research as novel therapeutic targets to treat lung SCC effectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Asyaari Zakaria
- Centre for Toxicology and Health Risk Studies, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Malaysia
| | - Jazli Aziz
- Department of Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| | - Nor Fadilah Rajab
- Centre for Healthy Ageing and Wellness, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Malaysia
| | - Eng Wee Chua
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Malaysia
| | - Siti Fathiah Masre
- Centre for Toxicology and Health Risk Studies, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Malaysia
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +60-137-442-907
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Zakaria MA, Rajab NF, Chua EW, Selvarajah GT, Masre SF. NTCU induced pre-malignant and malignant stages of lung squamous cell carcinoma in mice model. Sci Rep 2021; 11:22500. [PMID: 34795360 PMCID: PMC8602624 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-01988-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Mice have served as an excellent model to understand the etiology of lung cancer for years. However, data regarding dual-stage carcinogenesis of lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) remain elusive. Therefore, we aim to develop pre-malignant (PM) and malignant (M) lung SCC in vivo using N-nitroso-tris-chloroethylurea (NTCU). BALB/C mice were allotted into two main groups; PM and M groups which received treatment for 15 and 30 weeks, respectively. Then, the mice in each main group were allotted into three groups; control, vehicle, and cancer (n = 6), which received normal saline, 70% acetone, and 0.04 M NTCU by skin painting, respectively. Histopathologically, we discovered a mix of hyperplasia, metaplasia, and dysplasia lesions in the PM group and intracellular bridge; an SCC feature in the M group. The M group was positive for cytokeratin 5/6 protein which confirmed the lung SCC subtype. We also found significantly higher (P < 0.05) epithelium thickness in the cancer groups as compared to the vehicle and control groups at both the PM and M. Overall, this study discovered that NTCU is capable of developing PM and M lung SCC in mice model at appropriate weeks and the vehicle group was suggested to be adequate as control group for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Asyaari Zakaria
- Centre for Toxicology and Health Risk Studies, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 50300, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Nor Fadilah Rajab
- Centre for Healthy Ageing and Wellness, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 50300, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Eng Wee Chua
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 50300, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Gayathri Thevi Selvarajah
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), 43400, Serdang, Malaysia
| | - Siti Fathiah Masre
- Centre for Toxicology and Health Risk Studies, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 50300, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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Mohammed D, Park CY, Fredberg JJ, Weitz DA. Tumorigenic mesenchymal clusters are less sensitive to moderate osmotic stresses due to low amounts of junctional E-cadherin. Sci Rep 2021; 11:16279. [PMID: 34381087 PMCID: PMC8358034 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-95740-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The migration of tumorigenic cells is a critical step for metastatic breast cancer progression. Although the role of the extracellular matrix in breast cancer cell migration has been extensively described, the effect of osmotic stress on the migration of tumor breast cohorts remains unclear. Most of our understanding on the effect of osmotic stresses on cell migration comes from studies at the level of the single cell in isolation and does not take cell-cell interactions into account. Here, we study the impact of moderate osmotic stress on the migration of cell clusters composed of either non-tumorigenic or tumorigenic cells. We observe a decrease in migration distance and speed for non-tumorigenic cells but not for tumorigenic ones. To explain these differences, we investigate how osmotic stress impacts the mechanical properties of cell clusters and affects their volumes. Our findings show that tumorigenic mesenchymal cells are less sensitive to osmotic stress than non-tumorigenic cells and suggest that this difference is associated with a lower expression of E-cadherin. Using EGTA treatments, we confirm that the establishment of cell-cell adhesive interactions is a key component of the behavior of cell clusters in response to osmotic stress. This study provides evidence on the low sensitivity of mesenchymal tumorigenic clusters to moderate osmotic stress and highlights the importance of cadherin-based junctions in the response to osmotic stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danahe Mohammed
- grid.38142.3c000000041936754XJohn A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA USA ,grid.38142.3c000000041936754XDepartment of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA USA
| | - Chan Young Park
- grid.38142.3c000000041936754XHarvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115 USA
| | - Jeffrey J. Fredberg
- grid.38142.3c000000041936754XHarvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115 USA
| | - David A. Weitz
- grid.38142.3c000000041936754XJohn A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA USA ,grid.38142.3c000000041936754XDepartment of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA USA
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